London School of Samba have been parading in the Notting Hill Carnival and other parades since 1984.
A Samba school (Escola de samba) is a dancing club or school devoted to practising and exhibiting samba (an African-Brazilian dance). The schools have a strong community basis. They are often seen to affirm the cultural validity of the Afro-Brazilian heritage. Throughout the year the samba schools have various happenings and events, but the most important is the rehearsals for the main event which is the yearly carnival parade. Each of the main schools spend many months each year designing the theme, holding a competition for their song, building the floats and rehearsing. A school’s parade may consist of 3,000 performers or more. Several elements are part of the characterization of a parade of the samba school, and some areas to which the jury should assign notes.
The Front Commission is the first group of parade participants to perform, and consists of about ten to fifteen people who execute a choreography to introduce the theme.
Functioning as a sort of master of ceremonies of the show by welcoming the public and presenting the school. Ella Mesma was invited to choreograph the front commission in 2016 and 2017.
2017 – Sambafari – The Last Safari
2016 – Somewhere Under The Rainbow
